Talking Points: Pornography and Relationship Damage Research
Publication Information
Title: Pornography and Relationship Damage Research Results
Publication: Morality In Media
Author: Mary Anne Layden, Ph.D.
Date: 12/13/2013
Adult (>18 years old) exposure to pornographic media is connected with:
- Greater acceptance of sex before marriage
- Having more sex partners
- Rating their partners as less attractive
- Being less satisfied with their partners sexual performance
- Greater desire for sex without emotional involvement
- More sex callousness
- Trying to get partners to act out scenes from pornographic films
- Increasing their estimates of how often people engage in sex with animals
- Increasing their estimates of how often people engage in sex with violence
- Increasing their estimates of how often people engage in sex in groups
- Going to prostitutes
- Greater acceptance of sex outside of marriage for married individuals
- More likely to have an affair
- Using more sexual terms to describe women
- Reduced support for the women’s liberation movement
- Less child centeredness during marriage
- Reduced desire for female children
- Believing that you don’t need to restrict pornography from children
- More alcohol use
- More binge drinking
- Engaging in more behavioral aggression
- Engaging in marital rape
Studies Supporting These Points
- Greater acceptance of sex before marriage
Carroll, J. S., Padilla-Walker, L. M., Nelson, L. J., Olson, C. D., Barry, C. M., & Madsen, S. (2008). Generation XXX: Pornography acceptance and use among emerging adults. Journal of Adolescent Research, 23, 1, 6-30.
- Having more sex partners
Carroll, J. S., Padilla-Walker, L. M., Nelson, L. J., Olson, C. D., Barry, C. M., & Madsen, S. (2008). Generation XXX: Pornography acceptance and use among emerging adults. Journal of Adolescent Research, 23, 1, 6-30.
- Rating their partners as less attractive
Weaver, J., Masland, J. L., & Zillmann, D. (1984). Effect of erotica on young men’s aesthetic perception of their female sexual partners. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 58, 929-930.
Zillmann, D. & Bryant, J. (1988). Pornography’s impact on sexual satisfaction. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 18, 438-453.
- Being less satisfied with their partners sexual performance
Zillmann, D. & Bryant, J. (1988). Pornography’s impact on sexual satisfaction. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 18, 438-453.
- Greater desire for sex without emotional involvement
Zillmann, D. & Bryant, J. (1988). Pornography’s impact on sexual satisfaction. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 18, 438-453.
- More sex callousness
Zillmann, D & J. Bryant. (1984). Effects of massive exposure to pornography. In Malamuth, N and Donnerstein, E. (Eds), Pornography and sexual aggression. San Diego, Academic Press.
- Trying to get partners to act out scenes from pornographic films
Cramer, E. & McFarlane, J. (1994). Pornography and abuse of women. Public Health Nursing, 11, 4, 268-272.
- Increasing their estimates of how often people engage in sex with animals
Zillmann, D & J. Bryant. (1984). Effects of massive exposure to pornography. In Malamuth, N and Donnerstein, E. (Eds), Pornography and sexual aggression. San Diego, Academic Press.
- Increasing their estimates of how often people engage in sex with violence
Zillmann, D & J. Bryant. (1984). Effects of massive exposure to pornography. In Malamuth, N and Donnerstein, E. (Eds), Pornography and sexual aggression. San Diego, Academic Press.
- Increasing their estimates of how often people engage in sex in groups
Zillmann, D & J. Bryant. (1984). Effects of massive exposure to pornography. In Malamuth, N and Donnerstein, E. (Eds), Pornography and sexual aggression. San Diego, Academic Press.
- Going to prostitutes
Monto, M. (1999). Focusing on the clients of street prostitutes: a creative approach to reducing violence against women. Final report for the National Institute of Justice. Available at www.ncjrs.org.
Stack, S., Wasserman, I. & Kern, R. (2004). Adult Social Bonds and Use of Internet Pornography. Social Science Quarterly, 85, 75-88.
- Greater acceptance of sex outside of marriage for married individuals
Carroll, J. S., Padilla-Walker, L. M., Nelson, L. J., Olson, C. D., Barry, C. M., & Madsen, S. (2008). Generation XXX: Pornography acceptance and use among emerging adults. Journal of Adolescent Research, 23, 1, 6-30.
- More likely to have an affair
Stack, S., Wasserman, I. & Kern, R. (2004). Adult Social Bonds and Use of Internet Pornography. Social Science Quarterly, 85, 75-88.
- Using more sexual terms to describe women
Frable, D. E. S., Johnson, A. E. & Kellman, H. (1997). Seeing masculine men, sexy women and gender differences: Exposure to pornography and cognitive constructs of gender. Journal of Personality, 65, 311-355.
- Reduced support for the women’s liberation movement
Zillmann, D & J. Bryant. (1984). Effects of massive exposure to pornography. In Malamuth, N and Donnerstein, E. (Eds), Pornography and sexual aggression. San Diego, Academic Press.
- Less child centeredness during marriage
Carroll, J. S., Padilla-Walker, L. M., Nelson, L. J., Olson, C. D., Barry, C. M., & Madsen, S. (2008). Generation XXX: Pornography acceptance and use among emerging adults. Journal of Adolescent Research, 23, 1, 6-30.
- Reduced desire for female children
Zillmann, D. (1989). The effects of prolonged consumption of pornography. In D. Zillmann & J. Bryant (Eds.), Pornography: Research Advances and Policy Considerations (pp. 127-158). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
- Believing that you don’t need to restrict pornography from children
Zillmann, D & J. Bryant. (1984). Effects of massive exposure to pornography. In Malamuth, N and Donnerstein, E. (Eds), Pornography and sexual aggression. San Diego, Academic Press.
- More alcohol use
Carroll, J. S., Padilla-Walker, L. M., Nelson, L. J., Olson, C. D., Barry, C. M., & Madsen, S. (2008). Generation XXX: Pornography acceptance and use among emerging adults. Journal of Adolescent Research, 23, 1, 6-30.
- More binge drinking
Carroll, J. S., Padilla-Walker, L. M., Nelson, L. J., Olson, C. D., Barry, C. M., & Madsen, S. (2008). Generation XXX: Pornography acceptance and use among emerging adults. Journal of Adolescent Research, 23, 1, 6-30.
- Engaging in more behavioral aggression
Donnerstein, E. (1984). Pornography: Its effects on violence against women. In N. Malamuth and E. Donnerstein (Eds) Pornography and Sexual Aggression. New York: Academic Press.
Allen, M., D’Allessio, D., & Brezgel, K. (1995). A metal-analysis summarizing the effects of pornography II: Aggression after exposure. Human Communication Research, 22, 258-283.
- Engaging in marital rape
Simmons, C. A., Lehmann, P. & Collier-Tennison, S. (2008). Linking male use of the sex industry to controlling behaviors in violent relationships: An exploratory analysis. Violence Against Women, 14, 406-417.
Compiled by Mary Anne Layden, PhD
Director, Sexual Trauma and Psychopathology Program Center for Cognitive Therapy, University of Pennsylvania